THE character of a people is faithfully expressed in their popular songs. It has been truly observed of such compositions, that, like the pulsation and breathing, they are the sign and measure of the inward life. That the lyrical productions of which we are about to treat, constitute an excellent index to the character of that particular race of men to which they belong, may, we think, be made very apparent; but, before entering on these productions, it must be permitted to us to offer a few words on those peculiarities of disposition and habit which constitute and distinguish the character in question.

A number of circumstances concur in forming the character of a people. The nature of the government, the nature of the country, their occupation, their religion, and a variety of other particulars, have necessarily more or less influence on their habits and modes of thinking and feeling. Much, however, also must be conceded to depend on the natural and original temperament of a people. It is this which disposes them more to the reception of one set of impressions than another; and thus accounts for the habits which grow up amongst them in their social infancy. The sanguine temperament of the African Negro, and the cold and phlegmatic temperament of the American Indian, will always, under all circumstances, so long as these two races of men shall remain unmixed, ensure an essential diversity in their character.-The races of Europe do not, indeed, afford such a marked contrast; and the intercourse of nations, every day becoming more intimate, has a tendency to wear

down and soften original distinctions: still, however, we perceive tribes, or families of people, in Europe, which the common observer feels convinced at a first glance, must have proceeded from essentially different stocks. For instance, the nations of the Gothic, or Teutonic race - namely, the Scandinavians, and the people of their dependent islands, the Upper and Lower Germans (including Swiss, Alsatians, Flemings, and Dutch,)—the English and Lowland Scots, not merely speak branches of one common language, but have a strong family likeness, both in features, complexion, and figure, and in charac ter and disposition:-while the Celtic race again, differs strongly from the former, not merely in language, but in all the other particulars just enumerated.

Switzerland displays this marked distinction very strikingly. So far back as its authentic modern history extends, it has consisted of two leading divisions-the German country, and the Roman country-( pays Romain). Now, though religious tenets have great influence on a people's temper-and it has been generally observed on the Continent, that Catholics (whether from the number of holidays, processions, and shows they have, or the hostility of their religion to thinking,) are, upon the whole, much more gay and volatile than Protestants-yet the people of the Pays de Vaud, and of the other Roman districts, who are not only Protestants, but Calvinists,--the most austere of all Protestants,-are infinitely more brisk and cheerful than the Catholics of the German country. Again, the Gauls in the time

of Cæsar, were notorious for their versatile and mercurial disposition; and for this the modern French (chiefly Gauls) have always been famed. The grave and phlegmatic disposition assigned to the Germans by Tacitus, is as characteristic of their descendants, as the large limbs, the fair hair and complexion, and blue or hazel eyes, which he also assigned to them.-The political institutions of all the Teutonic countries, even yet retain traces, more or less distinct, of the manners and habits so forcibly described by the Roman historian; and it was truly observed by Montesquieu, that the English constitution was formed in the woods of Germany.

The prevailing character of the Teutonic nations is obtuseness of the senses, or tardiness in receiving sensual impressions; sincerity and singleness of disposition; constancy and perseverance in pursuit.-Their appearance and movements are heavy, and ungraceful. But from their constancy in pursuit, and their power of dwelling long on one object, they have reached greater excellence in certain important branches of knowledge and acquirement, than people of a more quick and mercurial disposition.-Though their want of delicacy of tact may prevent them from ever becoming the greatest painters or statuaries, they have produced a Copernicus, a Kepler, a Tycho Brahe, a Newton, a Bacon, a Hobbes, and a Leibnitz.-They have planted themselves in the wildernesses of the new world; and, by patient labour, converted them into flourishing communities: while the French, Spaniards, and Portuguese, in similar situations, have yielded to external circumstances, and either trifled away their time on the spot where they first planted themselves,-or become savages with the natives. The colonists of the former in Russia and Poland, have displayed the same perseverance. From their sincerity of disposition, and their freedom from distrust and jealousy, they are peculiarly adapted for acting in union.

The intercourse between the sexes has always been of a more elevated character with them, than with any other race. Tacitus expressly states, that of all the barbarians known to the Romans, the Germans alone en

tertained a high regard for women; and this regard displayed itself, in the middle ages, in chivalry,—an institution which flowed naturally out of their character-and the circumstances of the times.

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To gaiety, in the genuine sense of the word, they are strangers. their mirth, as in every thing else, they are deficient in ease;-their wit, which is often forcible, has seldom a spontaneous appearance, but usually that of effort. Even their language is stamped with the directness and sincerity which belongs to their character. It was justly observed, by Leibnitz, that a person writing or speaking in one of the Teutonic languages, with a view to conceal his meaning, will find it more difficult to succeed in his object than if he used any other tongue. It was a Frenchman who observed, that language was given to man to conceal his thoughts!

The points of difference between the Teutonic and the Celtic race are obvious to the most superficial observer. The Celt is of an ardent and impetuous temperament; rapid in all his movements; quick in his perceptions; he has a keen intuitive glance, and naturally expresses himself in bold and figurative language. He is, at the same time, much more fickle and inconstant, and much less cordial and sincere. If more sensible to kindness, he is also more prone to anger and revenge than his Saxon neighbour.

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If there exists an intimate connection between the character of a people and their songs, we may expect that the songs of different nations belonging to the same common race, should bear a characteristic semblance, corresponding with the affinity of habit and disposition.— Accordingly, it happens, that the songs and ballads of the various people of the Teutonic stock, have all one common stamp impressed on them, and are even generally of the same mechanical structure. Difference of government, situation, occupation, has of course had its influence; but the type is everywhere perceptibly the same,—and in the dales of Norway and Switzerland, the recesses of the Black Forest, the marshes of the Elbe and Weser, the sands of Pomerania, to

the smiling plains of England, we can trace an astonishing similarity in the popular songs, and in the manner of singing them. At the same time we must take into account that the original race has, in some of these countries, received more admixtures than in others; and this admixture has certainly had its influence on their lyrical effusions, particularly on the music. Of all the nations in question, the Lowland Scots have, perhaps, received the most of this admixture; accordingly they now retain least of the original common Gothic character; and this circumstance, as will be shown hereafter, has strongly influenced their songs.

No particular song can be preserved by tradition for any very great length of time; for what passes from mouth to mouth, and from heart to heart, must experience changes in each stage of transmission. But as the new flows gradually out of the old, as the generations of men flow gradually out of each other, and the new, as well as the old, being popular only from its accordance with the general feeling,-though individual identity is lost, a general identity is preserved. One mode of composition may gradually supplant another; new discoveries may be made; rhyme may banish alliteration; but, as the Teutonic language, though much modified, still remains fundamentally the same after a lapse of 2000 years,* we may reasonably believe that the character of the songs, continues fundamentally the same from the earliest times. It is hardly, therefore, going too far to affirm, that the ballad of Chevy Chace (in none of its existing forms of any great antiquity) or one of the Danish Kaempe Viser, still bears a resemblance to the songs sung by the antient Germans on rushing to battle, or those which were afterwards collected by order of Charlemagne.

The song and music of the Celts are

quite distinct in character from those of their neighbours. The poetry is bold and figurative; and the ardour of a warm and enthusiastic imagination boils over on every object within its reach. The music is animated and impassioned in the highest degree; the strains are at times absolutely heart rending. Sir Walter Scott in Marmion has happily described the character of the pathetic Celtic airs :

The air he chose was wild and sad;
Such have I heard in Scottish land
Rise from the busy harvest band,
When falls before the mountaineer,
On Lowland plains, the ripen'd ear;-
Now one shrill voice the notes prolong,
Now a wild chorus swells the song:
As it came soften'd up the hill,
Oft have I listen'd and stood still,
And deem'd it the lament of men
Who languish'd for their native glen;
And thought how sad would be such sound
On Susquehana's swampy ground,
Kentucky's wood-encumber'd brake,
Or wild Ontario's boundless lake,
Where heart-sick exiles in their strain
Recall'd fair Scotland's hills again!

Of the Celtic poetry few specimens have been laid before the English public; but we can have no difficulty in pronouncing from these, that its qualities are the very opposite of those of the Teutonic poetry.-We may safely affirm of the following extract, from the literal translation of a modern Gaelic poem, by an old mountain sportsman, who could neither read nor write, that it does not bear the least resemblance to any thing in the whole range of Teutonic poetry, from the first of the Norse, or Anglo-Saxon lays, down to the last popular ballad that has been indited. The poet thus addresses himself to the rock Guanich, the most conspicuous object in the range of his favourite sport:

Rock of my heart! the secure rock;
That rock where my childhood was cherish'd!
The joyous rock,-fresh, flowery, haunt of
birds,-

The rock of hinds, and bounding stags !—

The song and the music of the Teutonic race are of quite a different cast. To the music we shall afterwards allude more particularly ;but, in passing, we must observe, that Mr. George Chalmers is quite mistaken when he supposes, on the authority of Hawkins, that the English have "no national music.” They have a national music, which has a strong resemblance to that of the other Teutonic nations.-The Teutonic song bears the stamp of cordiality and artless sincerity. It has nothing of the easy dignity of the Spanish romances, two of which Percy has spoiled by an absurd attempt to give them an English cast; nor of the voluptuous luxuriance of the Venetian Barcarolles; nor of the pointed lightness, and airy gaiety of the French Vaudevilles; nor of the wit, and touching simplicity of the Lithuanian Dainos.-But there is an earnestness, a frankness, a homely sincerity, and kind heartedness, about the Teutonic ballads and songs, which cause them, in the long run, perhaps, to take a stronger hold of the affections, and make a deeper impression on the heart, than those of any other people.

It is, however, high time to enter on that particular consideration of

the songs of the people of the Teutonic race, which we proposed to ourselves as the main object of this article.

Without losing ourselves in the periods which precede record, or attempting to define the occupations of the Scalds, or the difference between them and the Druids, we shall go no farther back than the earliest of the genuine monuments of the songs of our forefathers. From that period, the resemblance in tone and character to those of the present day is to be continuedly and clearly traced.

The oldest Teutonic song yet discovered, is the song of Hildebrand and Hadubrand, published at Cassel, in 1812, from a manuscript of the latter end of the eighth century.— It is in alliteration; relates to a tradition of the old Pagan times;" and is supposed to have been composed centuries before the date of the manuscript.-We may also here mention that, in the poetical version of the Gospels, in Allemannish rhyme, by Otfried, a native of Swabia, a monk of Weissenburg, in Alsace, (composed between 863 and 872,) there are occasionally passages of a lyrical character; and more particularly one which has reference to the poet's own longing for his native home.

Before the discovery of the song of Hildebrand and Hadubrand, that on the victory of King Lewis over the North men (dated 881,) was generally accounted the oldest. This song is in rhyme. The following is its commencement, which we give as literally as possible, without endeavouring to retain the rhyme. A king I do know,

Lord Lewis is his name;
He delights to serve God

Because God rewards him.
A fatherless child was he;

Much had he cause to grieve,
But God he did choose him

And rear'd him himself:
He gave him many brave

And noble men to serve him;
A throne here in Franken:-
Long may he fill it!

Towards the conclusion of this song, there are some spirited and highly characteristic lines:

Long it was not

Ere the Northmen he found, "God be praised!" he exclaimedIlis wish was fulfilled.